The Reason Why
by staralure
Summary: /NaruSaku/ "C'mon Sakura, I'll piggyback you to my apartment. It's nearer and you need to get out of the rain." Shielded from view, Uchiha Sasuke smirked at Naruto's awestruck expression and pushed aside his new found feelings for the pink haired beauty.


**The Reason Why**  
Chapter 1  
_staralure_

* * *

"Healing those injuries was a killer." Haruno Sakura muttered to no one in particular as she dragged her dead tired body to the entrance of the Konoha hospital. A team had just came back to Konoha this morning with heavy casualties, and after toiling for near to six hours, she finally managed to heal them all. Sakura sighed to herself and ran a hand through her hair, rolling her eyes in frustration when it got caught up in the tangles. Needless to say, she was glad that she was able to help those ninjas, but it was an exhausting process. Her muscles groaned in agony; her chakra level was getting dangerously low.

_I definitely need a nap_. Letting her mind wander about, Sakura thought of the nice hot bath that she's going to take as soon as she gets home.

* * *

"Life really hates me. Urgh!"

Giving up on untangling her hair, Sakura glared at the sky in exasperation. Thunder roared and the pitter patter of the rain only served to fuel her anger.

"It didn't rain for three whole weeks and yet it rains now. How lovely."

Climbing up five stories to her office just to get an umbrella seems like courting death to her exhausted mind. After contemplating all possible escapes and coming up with a blank, she took a deep breath, pulled up her hood and took a step into the rain.

Almost immediately, the rain soaked through her clothes and cooled her feverish skin. Too tired to avoid a large puddle, Sakura ignored the strong wind and concentrated on making her way through the empty streets.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto trudged through the rain with his hands in his pocket. His head was down as he tried to keep his hair from poking his eyes. He was pleased that it finally rained after a dry respite of three weeks.

Walking through the rain had always helped him to clear his mind. Most people would be hiding under a shelter or rushing back home, and that means that nobody would bother him. He appreciated the empty streets and the hypnotic sound of rain.

'I wonder what Sakura is doing now...' Naruto muttered to himself as he kicked at the stones that were in his path. Three long days had passed since he had last seen Sakura. Last he heard, she was busy up at the hospital.

Giving an especially large stone a kick, he watched as it rolled and bounced across the pavement. It stopped in front of a pair of sandals. Glancing up, Naruto stopped walking with a jolt.

_I'm hallucinating._

Naruto knocked himself on the head with his fist to clear his mind and winced at the unexpected pain. Rubbing his head, Naruto squinted. Sakura was still leaning against the lamppost with her eyes closed, seemingly unaware of her surroundings.

_Weird…Why would Sakura-chan be standing in the rain?_

Shaking his head and sending water droplets flying, Naruto ran up to Sakura, an adorable grin adorning his face once more.

* * *

The whole world spun around Sakura. Gritting her teeth, she tried to regain her balance by supporting herself with a hand against the wall. Instead, she found herself slumping down heavily against it as her arm gave way. "…I hate…low chakra…'' Sakura mumbled to herself as she slid down the wall and slumped against it.

* * *

"Sakura. Sakura!"

Sakura felt something poking her cheek and opened her eyes blurrily just in time to see Naruto's relieved smile.

"Naruto?"

"Are you alright?" Naruto's face peered at her with concern as he poked her cheek. His eyes shone with concern. Her complexion was pale and even though he was no expert, Naruto knew that something wasn't right. He placed his hand gently on her forehead. Sakura tried to bat his hand away and used his shoulder as leverage as she stood up.

Looking at her confused expression, Naruto stood up and surveyed the swaying girl. He frowned.

"Sakura-chan, why do you look so exhausted?"

Sakura didn't reply and looking down, Naruto realized that her eyes were closed.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Mmm?"

"Why were you leaning against the wall?"

"I'm resting."

"In the rain?"

"Is it raining?"

Naruto stared down at Sakura for a few moments before growling in a menacing voice. "What were you doing at the hospital? That old grandma must have been nuts to let you work in this condition."

At his change of tone, Sakura frowned, ready to retort and chastise him for his lack of respect.

"I wasn't at the hosp…"

She trailed off when she saw Naruto's questioning gaze and raised eyebrows. Rain poured around them and thunder roared. Lightning flashed across the sky, filling in the empty silence as they stared each other down.

"Healing." Sakura finally replied, adverting her eyes away and stared at her own feet, leaning her weight against the wall. They had this conversation so many times in the past that Sakura had lost count. It would start with Sakura working overtime, Naruto and Sasuke getting over protective and worried [although Sasuke would never admit it in a million years] and Sakura getting mad.

And it usually ends up with either boy punched through a wall.

'One thousand, two thousand, three thousand…' Sakura started to count the seconds in her mind but was interrupted when she noticed Naruto offering his back to her and leaning forward slightly. Her eyes widened.

"C'mon, I'll piggyback you to my apartment. It's nearer and you need to get out of the rain quick."

Staring at his back, she hesitated.

"But…"

"Just get on Sakura-chan! I bet you're not as heavy as you look. "

That callous comment made her eye twitched and earned him a whack on his back. Grumbling, she got onto his back slowly, making sure to give him a few more thumps on the head. Despite lacking chakra, her punches were still exceedingly strong.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan!" Naruto wheezed, grasping Sakura's calves and trying to avoid the painful hits.

"You okay?" he straightened up and after making sure that Sakura was secured, he ran and jumped up onto the nearest rooftop.

"Yeah."

Suddenly exhausted from the dramatic show, Sakura hesitated slightly and joined her hands in front of Naruto's neck. She relaxed against his back and shield her face from the the wind by hiding it into the crook of his neck.

_Actually, this is really nice. He's like a human heater._

Breathing in deeply, she took in Naruto's unique scent.

"Thanks Naruto." Sakura mumbled sleepily into Naruto's neck. Naruto's foot slipped for a second and he almost fell before he regained his balance. His face flushed.

"Sakura-chan?..."

"Hmmm?"

"…Nothing"

* * *

Shielded from the rain, Uchiha Sasuke smirked at the sight before him. Naruto's awestruck expression was priceless, and Sasuke would have taken a picture if he had a camera with him.

His hand rested at the spot above his heart and he gave it a squeeze.

_That was painful._

Turning away from the view, Sasuke sighed. He still had a cat to catch to "prove his loyalty to Konoha".

"D-rank missions. Hah. I should have never left Konoha." Sasuke grumbled to himself and set off, pushing aside his new found feelings when he caught sight of said lurking ginger cat.

* * *

"Sakura-chan? Are you awake?" Naruto gently shook the pink-haired kunoichi lying on the sofa. Sakura mumbled something illegible in her sleep and nuzzled herself into the cushions. He found himself staring at her, gently brushing back a lock of pink hair from her heart-shaped face. The back of his fingertips gently grazed against her cheeks, leaving behind a streak of water.

"Sakura…" Naruto murmured under his breath as he gazed at the sleeping girl.

Suddenly, a bolt of thunder shook him out of his daydream and he jumped back. Groaning, he slapped a hand to his forehead, mumbling incorrigible words.

"Jeez, what am I doing?"

Turning back to Sakura, he noticed that Sakura was shivering slightly with her knees drawn up to her chin. Running his fingers through his hair, Naruto strode to his room for a blanket, saw and gently placed it on Sakura, making sure she was fully covered. Pausing, he took a dry jacket, stooped and tuck in the ends securely around Sakura, giving her a small pat on the head before straightening up to his full height again.

Finally satisfied, he let himself a small and tired smile. To a casual observer, it would seem that Naruto had finally grown up and given up on pursuing Sakura. However, he wasn't so sure about it. He just loved to see her smile, and he would do anything to keep her safe and to stay by her side.

Even if it means hiding his infatuation for her.

Naruto stood up and stretched his back and arms. A tinge of sadness found its way to his smile. Grabbing a towel and deciding that Sakura would be alright on her own for a few minutes, Naruto sighed and untied his headband, placing it on the dresser beside his bed before walking towards the adjoining bathroom for a quick shower.

A month ago, after helping Sasuke to kill Madara and Orochimaru, the team had returned to Konoha with an extra member and earned a huge amount of money. Tsunade had practically forced him to use the cash to get a new apartment to replace his old one and to accept a few months break from missions.

* * *

Sakura tossed and turn on the sofa, burying her face into the warm burrow. She clutched at the blankets, unwilling to give up the sense of security as she tried to block out everything and go back to sleep.

_Mmmm, this is even warmer than my own bed. I'll stay here forever._

Unbidden, memories of the rain came floating back into her mind and she woke up with a start. Still snug inside her safe haven, she surveyed her warmly lit surroundings in slight surprise before concluding that Naruto had indeed brought her back to his apartment when she saw his frog pouch on one of the shelves.

Sakura attempted to sit up, only to shiver when the blanket fell away and goose bumps erupted all over her skin. Remembering her drenched clothes, she prayed that she hadn't soaked the sofa too badly and grabbed the orange and black jacket. She slipped her arms into the long sleeves, relishing the warmth.

Sakura looked around. This was her first time in Naruto's apartment and to her surprise, it was neat with few adornments apart from some photo frames and weapons on the shelves. She folded the blanket and zipped up the jacket, feeling vaguely amused.

Looking around tentatively, she realized that Naruto was still missing.

"Naruto?"

When there was no reply, Sakura decided to explore the house.

* * *

**A/N: **Ahah my very first fanfiction. Hope that I won't be cringing at every paragraph when I next read my own writing.

Do share your thoughts with me, and thank you for reading.


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